About the Post

Author Information

Meg is a staff writer for The Hudsucker. After going through high school thinking she “didn’t like to write,” she found her love for it her freshman year at college and it’s only deepened since then. Upon graduating from Rutgers University with a BA in Communication in 2013, she began working in online marketing for the hospitality industry. She currently splits her time between NYC, where she works, and NJ, where she lives—but hopes that one day she’ll be able to live & work in the same state (that’s the dream).

Post Information

You are here:Home»7 Recipes You Are Going to Love That Use All Those Thanksgiving Leftovers

7 Recipes You Are Going to Love That Use All Those Thanksgiving Leftovers

Happy Thanksgiving! Whether you’re the one doing the cooking or you’re just doing the eating, hopefully you’re finding yourself surrounded by love and lots of food as you’re reading this. Now, putting aside the true meaning of the holiday and only thinking about it from a food perspective — do we like Thanksgiving-the-actual-day or do we like Thanksgiving-the-day-after? On the actual day the food is, yes, fresh and new but there’s also normally a lot of time spent in the kitchen preparing it. On the days after you can get the same exact food, sans the newness, but with much less effort spent making it. Plus, because it’s then crossed into leftover territory, you have a little more free reign to be creative and make different dishes with your food. If you are a fellow Thanksgiving-the-day-after lover, here are 7 recipes you should try out tomorrow and the days following:

Sweet Potato Biscuits {via home cooking memories}
Sweet potatoes are one of the most traditional Thanksgiving dishes, a total must have, but interestingly enough the methods of preparing them vary depending on who you talk to. Some make a sweet potato casserole, some treat the sweet potatoes as they would mashed. The great thing about these biscuits is that you can use up the sweet potatoes no matter which way you made them. You made them into a casserole with marshmallows? Doesn’t matter. Added Butter? Cream? Both fine. The biscuits come out perfectly delicious no matter what.

Image Credit: brandie valenzuela

Thanksgiving Enchiladas {via rachael ray show}
These are a real work horse, they use up so many different leftover ingredients: turkey, stuffing, gravy, potatoes, and cranberry sauce all go into the enchiladas. By making these you’re essentially having Thanksgiving dinner all over again but in a completely different form — the best type of leftover recipe. Instead of the usual enchilada sauce this uses a combination of spaghetti sauce and salsa but if you don’t have either and would like to use enchilada sauce in it’s place, that will certainly work. Or if you’re worried about those flavors competing with the Thanksgiving ones, just use a plain tomato sauce in it’s place.

Thanksgiving Pizza {via duff goldman}
Another inventive recipe that uses up more than one kind of leftover. If you have kids or young family members hanging around in the days after Thanksgiving this is a great recipe to get them involved with. Who doesn’t love making a homemade pizza? And who doesn’t love making something weird? This pizza, with it’s mashed potatoes and stuffing balls, might fall into that weird category but it’s also in the delicious one as well. I’m a sucker for a fun pizza and I’m definitely going to be making this one this year. I might even be looking forward to it more than the actual Thanksgiving dinner…

Turkey Pot Pie {via food network kitchens}
A classic recipe that just so happens to fit the bill as the perfect solution for leftover turkey. Don’t be alarmed by the long list of ingredients, when you look you’ll see they’re all pretty standard fare that you might even have in your house already, especially if you hosted Thanksgiving today. Make it easy on yourself and use store bought pie crust here even if you normally make your own. After all the hours spent in the kitchen recently, it’s alright to take a little bit of a break for dinner.

Cheesy Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes {via just a taste}
What’s better than a little cheese and a little potato? I do find that mashed potatoes are normally the first food gone but in case your family can control themselves more than mine can, this is exactly what you need to make to use them up. These can function as breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even a snack on the days after Thanksgiving and are super simple to throw together. Don’t leave out the scallions here (you can use green onion), they really upgrade these from standard re-fried potatoes to a whole different dish.

Image Credit: kelly senyei

Apple Pie Cinnamon Buns {via shared appetite}
With so many different desserts available on Thanksgiving, there’s bound to be some leftover pie. And while it’s just as good (and sometimes even better) the next day, it’s fun to twist it into something new — literally. For these cinnamon rolls you’ll be using the filling from your apple pie and rolling it up in pastry dough to create a whole new roll. They’re apple-y, cinnamon-y and a make a great holiday-inspired breakfast treat.

Pumpkin Pie Breakfast Bake {via drool worthy daily}
Okay, yes, this is another sweet pie-filled breakfast recipe but what are holidays good for if not being the sole time of the year it’s socially acceptable to eat pie for breakfast? We have to take advantage of the time that is in front of us. This is such a creative way of using leftover pumpkin pie, don’t be surprised if you find yourself hoping that all the pie doesn’t disappear tonight so you’ll have enough to make this tomorrow.